Truth
by AzureKnight2008
Summary: /Revision of the Greecia arc/ Princess Tina was dead, caught in a bomb explosion that was meant to kill the mighty king of Greecia - her father. Now her death left such a burden on both warriors' aimless souls. Hints of SesuxTinaxSoran /FINAL CHAPTER UP!/
1. Chapter 1

+ Category: **Fantastic Children**

+ Rate: **T **

+ Genre: **Angst / Tragedy **

**Author's notes:** Well, I intended to write this fic a very long time ago, maybe right after finishing the Greecia arc. Now all such wonderful vacations had passed, I managed to put my ideas down on papers, err...not really papers, e-papers alright. **^^" **

The complication/coincidence occured in the S-T-S love triangle bugged me a lot, because at first it seemed that Princess Tina was the main cause of Sesu-Soran broken bond, but then... when you were willing to take a closer look, the fault indeed belonged to the men. So, that's why I set to explore deeper into their inner mind/feelings, particularly the young lord and the captain, by setting up this unofficial scenario where the two warriors would be forced to decide their fate after their subject of affection had gone, and if not, to settle the score.

How many more times do I have to say that FC doesn't belong to me? **:) **

++ Italic words in **slashes **indicate thoughts ++

**~ TRUTH ~ **

**Chapter 1**

He heard it. A soft clop. Footsteps against marble. He was at it again. He smiled and stood up. He wouldn't get much rest even if he tried, so what was the use.

Every night it was the same. She would come towards him. Her smile still etched in his subconscious, her long white hair billowing in the imaginary breeze and her blue eyes that could, would forever, penetrate into his soul, eyes that were never denied passage. She would see what he was, all his dreams, all his hopes and all that could have been. And again she would smile as she falls in to his arm and become enveloped in them almost perfectly. As if she was made to fit into his embrace. She would look up into his eyes. Her eyes of deep, so very deep, blue and he would lose himself in it. And she would move closer to him, 'till he could smell her scent of sunlight and boundless ocean. Her lips would move up opposite his, 'till he could almost feel their softness.

Then always, always he would waken before they touched. Always. A love unconsummated.

He smiled, /_What was the use?/ _He stood awhile thinking about the past, as was his wont. He had nothing but memories now, and for him that was enough.

***** **  
It was almost dawn now and he stared at the blood drying on his sword, and then the open wound on his left arm. He should dress it, he knew, but it did not matter. Since however hard he kept training, every step he took, every move he made, her smile always haunted him.

He stood by the river bank, the autumn rain dripping down his face, hiding his tears, and washing away his pain.

His mind shifted to the time not long ago, of an angel's beautiful blue eyes staring into his own. Of soft arms embraced his scent. Of a sweet voice echoing in his head. _/Thank you, for everything./ _She whispered those words as if it were that easy to achieve. And as he looked into those ocean-blue eyes he almost believed it was.

Even in death...she was immortally beautiful.

He closed his eyes willing for the darkness to leave his soul. But it would never leave his black soul, it fed on his now frozen heart and smile. Never would it leave him.

**To be continued... **

***** **


	2. Chapter 2

+ Category: **Fantastic Children**

+ Rate: **T **

+ Genre: **Angst / Tragedy **

**Author's notes:** I don't own FC. **X((**

**~ TRUTH ~ **

**Chapter 2**

"Captain Soran." One of his subordinates called him and by the nervous look on the soldier's face, the captain of Greecia's entire regiment knew it was serious.

"What is it?"

He did not answer.

The captain then strapped the sword to his side and followed him to the training square.

He opened the door, stepping outside before allowing the man to close it behind him. Then he turned to face he who had awakened him with his unearthly hour for practice.

He saw a man standing alone on the floor with a sword. His long white hair cascading to his waist. A smile across his faultless face.

***** **

The man was graceful in his stance as his purple cloak billowed behind him. "Soran." He greeted him.

"Sesu." The captain nodded.

"I have come to finish what I've said." He nodded in answer. "Of course you know this is the last hour of your life."

"Listen to me Sesu, I need to explain!"

"No more words!" With this, Sesu drew his sword and calmly took his stance.

Having no other choice, the captain drew his sword, glimmering in its joy as he used it once more. His indigo gaze burned with determination. _/For now, just this one time, I must feel you in my hands to protect Tina's happiness, and to make Sesu see the truth he has long since ignored./  
_

"YYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!"

There was a clash of steel on steel. There was another flash of silver and another counter, this one aimed low, which Soran's sword still managed to catch. Then Sesu spun off to the left, and let himself slide to a stop in the marble.

Then whistling sound and Soran felt a searing pain in his right thigh. _/Damn, I did not even see that coming!/ _Sesu took another stance, Soran looked at him with unbroken concentration, willing the pain to disappear.

He saw Sesu move to his side and barely made out his point of contact. _/Shit!/ _He cursed underneath his breath as he barely dodged his opponent's thrust with his metallic left arm, the blade grazing his forehead.

He matched him, each move he countered, every attack was faced with another equaling its strength. _/I cannot lose yet./ _Soran collected his thoughts and formed his next move in his mind.

Instantly, fighting on instinct alone, he threw his sword back with a powerful thrust. He executed it perfectly and was rewarded by the feel of his steel devouring the soft flesh it has long abstained from.

Still the captain's perfect move was not enough to waver his opponent's deadly facade who had already taken another stance.

Soran clenched his fist. _/Not good, this can't be stopped./ _He thought bitterly as he tried to think of another move. He would lead with his right and as Sesu blocks his thrust he would turn and catch him on his blind side, giving him an opening. He took a breath and took his stance.

**To be continued... **

***** **


	3. Chapter 3

+ Category: **Fantastic Children**

+ Rate: **T **

+ Genre: **Angst / Tragedy **

**Author's notes:** Plz plz don't sue me, I'm just a poor young lady who was in love with FC but "he" is NEVER mine in a million years (well unless I had enough $$$ to bribe Nakamura-sensei into giving "him" to me so I can freely do what I want to. *smirk*)

**~ TRUTH ~ **

**Chapter 3**

The captain was out of breath, every move took more out of him than he had intended. The sheer speed he had to utilize was well beyond his capacity. _/The Sesu I first met was already very skilled, but always modest. Unlike this time./  
_  
"That's enough, Sesu. Why are you doing this?" He asked feeling the blood trickle down his forehead.

"You don't know?" He laughed. "Forgive me, I was not aware of your ignorance. It is a debt you have not yet pad."

"Is it about Tina?"

"Oh, so you knew." A look of hatred passing across his face. "She was _**my **_angel Soran, and you took her away from me. And now it was **you **who let her _**DIE**__!!_"

"You are blind Sesu."

"Why is that? Enlighten me."

The captain just smiled.

_/He smiled./ _Sesu thought. _/Tina always wished to make him smile. And I never could understand this, for why did she forever chase his one smile when I have always smiled for her?/  
_  
"You use her memory as an excuse to free the hatred that is found in your soul. You mask the pain that eats you within with the grief you felt." Sesu let out a cold unfeeling smile. "Tina loved you. And I did not take her away from you, you turned your back on her." Sesu's eyes widened at what he said.

He had turned his back on her?

Is it true?

NO, instead it was **her **who had betrayed him, betrayed his trust, betrayed the promise they made. To fall for this man. To fall for **HIS best friend**!!

_/Damn you Soran!/ _He spat out. The truth tasted bitter, but not as bitter as witnessing her dying, not as bitter as losing the only one that completed him, not as bitter as seeing his one happiness being denied him.

"Huh, whatever you said." He smiled even wider and took his stance.

***** **  
Soran closed his eyes. The sting in his thigh, and by the burning he felt on his back, he knew that Sesu's sword had connected and the blood blurring his vision made his position dangerous. _ /Sesu, is this what you wanted?/ _

His left arm stung each time he moved. His left waist hurt with the wound he had received and blood trickled from the cut on his cheek, sliding into his mouth. _/Soran, this is how you die!/ _

Sesu took his stance.

Soran braced himself for the onslaught.

**To be continued... **

***** **


	4. Chapter 4

+ Category: **Fantastic Children**

+ Rate: **T**

+ Genre: **Angst / Tragedy**

**Author's notes:** FC does not belong to me. My readers, thank you all! :)

**~ TRUTH ~**

**Chapter 4**

It was over, he knew it before it even began. Perhaps this is how it was truly supposed to end. In truth he had hoped to be killed by his best friend, the death of Tina left a burden on their shoulders that not even miracle could help them lighten. It was the burden of being alive. And of feeling the coldness of the night seep into your soul, of happiness never meant to be shared, of the loneliness eating you from within. It was his burden and if death would set him free, then he welcomed it

Sweet death, dark and endlessly beautiful, and perhaps **she **would greet him with a lover's kiss. A kiss fully consummated.

_/Forgive me Tina, I failed to protect you. But let me loose myself in your embrace at last.../ _

"YAAHHHHHHHRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!" Sesu let out a battle cry and charged at him, his pain blinding him and his hatred feeding his rage that escaped him in a desperate cry and a deluge of blood. But it still was not enough. Not enough for the pain to subside, not enough to fill the void. Nothing would ever be enough, he needed _her_, this was his one solitary truth.

Soran found himself fluttering to the floor, being embraced by its marble hands and cradled in its hardness.

"Captain Soran!" Rui came rushing towards the fallen warrior. "Lord Sesu!" His eyes widened at the presence of the girl, Tina's loyal maid.

"Oh God." She whispered. "Please my lord, you can't do this!" She cried.

Sesu looked at the girl's trembling form.

"Tell me, why are you here?" He asked coming closer to her.

"For-forgive me, I..." She stuttered.

"Go away."

"Wha-what?"

"I said GO AWAY!" His eyes flashed a metal blue. "Did you hear?"

"But my lord..what are you doing this for...?" She asked desperately.

"This matter does not concern you. Just go!" He ordered calmly.

"Forgive me... if it's for the princess' sake, then I **cannot**." She stated.

"What did you say just now?"

"My lord, please, do you know how much the princess had to suffer... because of _you?_"

The tears on the girl's face made him snicker.

"What do you mean?" He asked while looking at the man who's weak but steady breath he had heard again seconds ago.

"She did not tell lies." Soran muttered quietly.

_**(Flashback to episode 16) **_

_Princess Tina stood on the field bathed in the moonlight sparkling at her form with lifeless luster. _

_"So, that was it..." A tear slid down her beautiful face. _

_A firm and steady treading approaching her from behind, quiet and controlled as the footfall of a feline predator, was deliberately loud enough for her to hear, but no more than that. _

_Tina turned away from the glinting crystalline line of the palace view to greet her company as he came to stand in front of her. _

_"Soran..." _

_"What's in your mind, Tina?" The man spoke to her with eyes full of concern, but she looked away. _

_"He..he only saw me as a little sister." She gave a deep, sad sigh. "I was right after all..." Another tear ran down her cheek and she let it sit there, not bothering to wipe it away. _

_"He always wants the best for you." The captain sighed inwardy. Much as he would like to tell her the truth, Sesu would not allow him to. And deep down he knew that his best friend was doing this for the sake of their newfound love. _

_She gently turned to him, smiling. "I'm ok now, because... you're here." _

_He used his thumb to wipe away her tears and put a strand of hair behind her ear. "Tina, I'm not the one of those one can easily read, but this is the best I can do...to let you know my true feelings." She looked at him earnestly. "I live only for you." He then took out his dagger and skilfully engraved her name on his steel left arm. _

_"Ti..na..." She smiled on reciting the pattern, for she knew she would embed it in her mind, of this scenery, of this moment...for eternity. _

_Soran closed his eyes as her delicate form being enclosed in his embrace. _

_/You're the most noble guy I've ever met. Sesu, I owe you much./ _

_**(End flashback) **_

"It's the truth, of a prince who loved his princess so much that he willingly gave up everything for her. Lord Sesu, you killed **him! You KILLED him!**" Tears stood in her eyes as Rui said brokenly, hoping to bring light to his already clouded heart. No matter what devil ruled his mind, he was still her lord, **her lord**. Indeed, the moment he first came to the King Quarter, with that poise so strong yet elegant of his, to ask for the princess. She had never forgot that ever since.

"..."

"I just wanted you to hear the truth, that the princess loves you. _She __**loves you!**_"

He looked at Soran as the man painfully opened his eyes. "Sesu...it was you who turned your back on her. You weren't sincere to your true feelings. You owe Tina that much..." He then whispered, barely audible. "You..must...understand this."

"Captain..."

"...for..Tina..." and he closed his eyes for the last time.

"Captain Soran!"

**To be continued... **


	5. Chapter 5

+ Category: **Fantastic Children**

+ Rate: **T**

+ Genre: **Angst / Tragedy**

**Author's notes:** I wish I could own FC, but sadly, I don't. _*sniff*_ Btw, this is the FINAL chapter of this small tribute. My apology for the long wait. **:)**

**~ TRUTH ~**

**Chapter 5**

_/Love..? Tina...loves me?/ _

The blade clattered down beside him as he dropped to his knees, his world spinning. _/Was it true? Was it all true?/ _

He felt a burning so profound and deep in his eyes. And he felt a strange sensation on his cheeks as it entered his mouth merging into the blood there, filling it with a saltiness.

He looked at the captain's body and a slow movement caught this eye. **She **moved towards Soran, her hair like a procession trailing behind. She knelt beside him now, caressing his face and kissing the top of his forehead. Soran stood up holding her hand in his and drawing her deep inside his embrace. She turned around and looked at Sesu and extended her hand to him, her face revealing a smile.

**"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" **

He let out a long labored scream. For one moment he let all his longing float to the surface. For one moment he made the world cease existing. For one moment he let the kind man he tried so desperately to kill escape from the prison deep inside of him. For one moment he let himself revel in the happiness he felt and he let one solitary smile escape his lips. A real smile. For one moment, only a moment.

She was as he remembered her. Her eyes still as blue as the first time he saw them. Her smile still as beautiful as he had engraved in his heart. Her smell still filled his nostrils with memories long since forgotten. He wanted to take her hand, to hold her in his arms like he wanted to that sunset. His desire left him weak and he cursed himself for it.

And deep down inside, before he could stop it, it broke through his wall, voicing the torment he had to endure.

_/Please, please don't leave me Tina.../ _

How he wished that she had spoken some more. How he wanted to hear her sweet voice. It was what brightened him everyday. And the thought that she was safe under his protection let him sleep peacefully.

She who grew up right before his eyes, she who was so pure and fragile. She who was the rain in his barren heart, she who has loved him as no other could.

He who could face down every formidable opponent, but he could not win against his own heart. He **cannot**.

How could he tell her that all he lived for was to hear her happy chatter, to look into those blue eyes and drown in them? How could he tell her, that she was his only reason to live? _HOW? _

_For it was too late... _

_**(Flashback to episode 16) **_

_He had been hurting so much over the past few days. He carried a hurt he had no right to bear. Having decided to let her go, that was the hardest choice he ever made. And knowing this made it even more unendurable. But he tolerated it as well as he could. For her sake. For her happiness. _

_Now they were both at the royal river, enjoying the sunset in each other's company. _

_"Sesu?" He turned to look at her and as their gaze met, she looked sideways before putting on a disturbed look and muttering. "Never mind." He sighed at the familiar habit he saw unfolding before him. A silence covered them. _

_"Hey Sesu?" She asked once more. _

_"Yes Tina?" He asked knowing full well that this would not end unless he did something. _

_"Nothing." She shook her head as she broke into a smile once more. _

_/This is the last time Tina shall ever be mine.../ His smile was easy, though it didn't quite reach into his eyes. _

_She let out one of her giggles as she finally buried her face on his chest encompassing him in an embrace. "Thank you Sesu, for everything." _

_He was so tired, and stressed. He didn't show it in his body or his face, that would show weakness, and no matter what situation, Lord Sesu was NOT weak. But she was his angel, and he dropped his guard with the only one he would trust. _

_He moved his hand and pulled her closer to him, breathing in the scent of sunlight and boundless ocean. _

_/After then you will be __**his**__. After then I will lose you, perhaps forever.../ He thought bitterly. _

_How he wanted to kiss her then in this sunset. To claim her for himself. How he longed to take her away from here and make her his. But he knew that would trample Tina's newfound happiness. And he would never do that. He vowed to make her happy. He lived to see her happy. At any cost. Even if the cost was his own happiness. He held her tightly in his arms. _

_/Stay mine a little longer Tina. Stay __**mine**__.../ _

_After a while she withdrew from their embrace. "Thank you Sesu." _

_"Tina, you are my happiness." He whispered almost inaudibly. She looked up at him. Her eyes widened at what he said. And she smiled in understanding and went back inside the palace, leaving him alone once more. _

_/She would never understand. And perhaps it is better that she doesn't./ Then he buried his face in his hands. _

_**(End flashback) **_

Sesu closed his eyes, his moment ending.

"This is the end." He said bowing his head, long white bang cover his chiseled face.

"Lord Sesu..."

He looked up at Rui for a moment, then turned and walked away.

Now he had betrayed Tina...

And he felt his smile forever leave his lips.

_Forever... _

**######## **

Once, many and many years ago, there was a legend about the kingdom by the sea... It is said a dream is a dream again when the spirits of lovers reunite there. And when you close your eyes, you can imagine them alive again.

_Once, many and many years ago... _

**The End **

**Author's final notes:** I've never left my word unfinished. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, everyone! **;D**


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